NEW YORK, Sept 1 — In the quest to eliminate or reduce methane emissions, scientists are studying a potential solution involving bacteria capable of ingesting this greenhouse gas. The approach could be beneficial in helping apply the brakes to global warming, according to American researchers who recently published a study on the subject.
Along with carbon dioxide , methane is one of the greenhouse gases that contributes most to global warming, although it can be more quickly removed from the atmosphere than the former. A UN report published in 2021 estimates that reducing methane emissions now would avoid global warming of almost 0.3°C by 2045.
Researchers at the University of Washington in the USA have come up with an innovative solution to the quest to quash methane: a strain of bacteria. Known as “methanotrophs” , the strain in question is found in sites where methane emissions are high, such as landfills, rice paddies or oil wells, or near livestock herds. According to the study, this strain’s methane consumption is significantly greater than that of other methanotrophic bacteria.
Once ingested by these bacteria, methane can be transformed into carbon dioxide or biomass that could potentially be used for other activities such as aquaculture feed, suggest the researchers. “This bacterium is a candidate to develop technology for methane removal at emission sites.